Browsing Category: Tech News

  • UK eyeing switch to Apple-Google API for coronavirus contacts tracing — report

    The UK may be rethinking its decision to shun Apple and Google’s API for its national coronavirus contacts tracing app, according to the Financial Times, which reported yesterday that the government is paying an IT supplier to investigate whether it can integrate the tech giants’ approach after all. As we’ve reported before coronavirus contacts tracing …

    May 7, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Your iPhone will soon be able to tell 911 about your medical conditions and allergies

    Got something in your medical history that first responders should know about if you call 911? Things like known drug allergies, or the medications you’re on? The iPhone and Apple Watch will soon be able to share this information with first responders automatically (if you opt to let it do so). When a user with …

    May 6, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Google delays Android 11 by a month

    Google today announced that it is extending the preview period of Android 11 by about a month. So instead of launching a beta this month, as it had previously planned, it’ll release a fourth developer preview today instead. The first beta will officially launch on June 3, during an Android -centric online event it’ll hold …

    May 6, 2020 | by Raheel
  • New studio Modern Games acquires Beasts of Balance

    Modern Games is a new studio working to create games that combine physical and digital play. The company was founded by husband-and-wife team Justin and Amanda Kifer — serial entrepreneurs who previously launched companies including Citizen Local (acquired by MyLife in 2011) and Fidgetly, a fidget spinner company that also created a motion controller for …

    May 6, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Social network for women Peanut raises $12M Series A amid pandemic

    Peanut, an app that began as a tool for finding new mom friends, has evolved into a social network now used by 1.6 million women to discuss a range of topics, from pregnancy and parenthood to marriage and menopause, and everything in between. On the heels of significant growth in online networking fueled by the …

    May 5, 2020 | by Raheel
  • An already struggling smartphone market takes a big hit from COVID-19

    Quarter after quarter, familiar stories have appeared. The smartphone market, once seemingly bulletproof, has suffered. The list of factors is long, and I’ve written about them ad nauseam here, but the CliffsNotes version is: costs are too high, innovation is too incremental and most people already own a device that will be plenty good for …

    May 1, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Daily Crunch: iPhone sales decline in Q1

    Apple’s earnings show the impact of COVID-19, NVIDIA’s top scientist shares an open source ventilator design and Amazon anticipates big spending in the coming months. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 1, 2020. 1. iPhone sales are down, ahead of uncertain times for the industry Apple device sales have taken a hit, but the company’s …

    May 1, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Streaming service Hooq shuts down, ends partnerships with Disney’s Hotstar, Grab and others

    Hooq, a five-year-old on-demand video streaming service that aimed to become “Netflix for Southeast Asia,” has shut down weeks after filing for liquidation and terminated its partnerships with Disney’s Hotstar, ride-hailing giant Grab, and Indonesia’s VideoMax. Hooq Digital, a joint venture among Singapore telecom group Singtel (majority owner), Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros Entertainment, discontinued …

    May 1, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Smartphone shipments dropped 13% globally, and COVID-19 is to blame

    We knew it was going to be bad — but not necessarily “lowest level since 2013” bad. As Apple was busy reporting its earnings, Canalys just dropped some of its own figures — and they’re not pretty. After two quarters of much-needed growing, the global smartphone market just took a big hit. And you no …

    April 30, 2020 | by Raheel
  • Biloba lets you chat with a doctor if you have questions about your children

    Meet Biloba, a French startup that wants to leverage tech to make it easier to keep your children healthy. The company recently launched a new mobile app that lets you chat with a doctor whenever you want between 8 AM and 8 PM. This way, if you have questions about your kids, you can get …

    April 30, 2020 | by Raheel